Port of San Diego Receives “Rising Star” Grade in New Clean Ports Report Card
Standout achievements include first-in-the-nation all-electric tugboat and cranes that produce zero pollution as models for other ports to follow
October 2, 2025 – The Port of San Diego was recognized as a “Rising Star” in a new national Clean Ports Report Card Project released today, earning one of the highest scores for its investments in zero-emission technologies and collaborative approach to implementing zero-polluting equipment in consultation with local communities.
Since adopting its Maritime Clean Air Strategy in 2021, the Port has begun to cut pollution from ships, trucks, and cargo-handling equipment. Investments include shore power at multiple terminals, a cutting-edge zero-emission truck charging station paired with a “Trucking-As-A-Service” program to make electric trucks more accessible, and a federal EPA Clean Ports Program grant to accelerate emission reductions. San Diego has also hosted the nation’s first all-electric cranes and first electric tugboat, setting a precedent for clean operations at ports across the country.
While the Port of San Diego has made significant investments in updated technology, it has a long way to go to meet its own goal of 100 percent of cargo trucks calling on the Port being zero-emission vehicles by 2030. Currently, only 1% of trucks servicing the Port are zero-emission.
“For decades, San Diego families living near the waterfront carried the heavy burden of diesel pollution,” said Kyle Heiskala, Policy Co-Director of Environmental Health Coalition. “By investing in zero-emission solutions, the Port is showing that community health, equity, and economic prosperity can go hand in hand. While scoring as a Rising Star, there is a lot more work that needs to be done to achieve the Port’s own goals by 2030.”
A National Model for Momentum
In 2024, the Environmental Protection Agency received $3 billion in federal funding to transition U.S. ports to zero-emission equipment, infrastructure, and air quality planning, also known as the EPA Clean Ports Program.
Federal lawmakers have also introduced key legislation — the Clean Shipping Act of 2025 and the International Maritime Pollution Accountability Act of 2025 — to reduce ship emissions and create funding for zero-emission technologies.
Advocates point to San Diego as an example for how ports nationwide can seize this moment: by investing in cleaner operations, building trust with impacted communities, and aligning economic prosperity with public health.
Port facilities, states, and regions with ports must also act on their own to stay globally competitive and to reduce pollution that harms health. California should require cleaner shipping and trucking operations to protect vulnerable communities from pollution. Ports need to act as “good neighbors” and collaborate with the communities most impacted by their operations to help clean up their operations. The report cards provide a roadmap for constructive stakeholder collaborations with transparency around operations and the implementation of the EPA’s Clean Ports Program Funding. Without urgent federal, state, and port actions, we risk squandering this once-in-a-generation funding opportunity to reduce deadly pollution and deliver healthier, more prosperous communities.
Grading Ports: From Rising Star to Preparing to Launch
The Clean Ports Report Card evaluates ports in four categories:
- Emissions Inventory – The Port tracks and reports emissions, enabling clear accountability.
- Clean Air Planning – The Maritime Clean Air Strategy provides a roadmap with strong targets and milestones.
- Emissions Reduction Actions – Early adoption of shore power, electric cranes, charging infrastructure, and the first electric tugboat demonstrate national leadership.
- Community Engagement and Collaboration – Once adversarial, the Port’s relationship with advocates has transformed into a collaborative partnership built on shared clean air goals.
With a score of 80.9%, San Diego is showing how ports can deliver healthier communities while supporting thriving businesses.
“The Port of San Diego is proof that cleaner, more efficient operations are possible,” said José Franco Garcia, the Executive Director of Environmental Health Coalition. “Other ports should follow this example and use available federal funding to put public health at the center of their work.”
A Tool for Accountability and Action
Communities urge other ports to follow San Diego’s lead and use new federal funding to deliver real, measurable cuts in deadly pollution while creating economic opportunity. The Report Card reveals that many ports can make significant progress with easy-to-implement actions such as consistent air monitoring, comprehensive emissions inventories, measurable clean air plans, and authentic community engagement.
The Report Card is designed to be replicable by advocates across the country, with a template toolkit available to help communities evaluate and grade their own local ports.The Clean Ports Report Card equips residents and advocates with transparency tools to hold ports accountable and push for stronger public health protections.
The full Clean Ports Report Card, including grades for New York/New Jersey, Houston, and New Orleans, is available at cleanportsreportcard.org.
About the Clean Ports Report Card Project
The Clean Ports Report Card Project is a collaborative national initiative led by Better World Group, in partnership with Communities for a Healthy Bay, Environmental Community Advocates of Galena Park, Environmental Health Coalition, Friends of the Earth, Heal the Bay, Pacific Environment, Parents Engaging Parents New Jersey, Public Citizen, Rise St. James, RiSE4EJ, Sierra Club, and West Oakland Environmental Indicators Project. Together, these partners developed a replicable scoring framework to track port performance on pollution reduction, transparency, and community engagement—paving the way for cleaner, healthier port operations across the U.S.
Contact:
Angelica Estrada, angelicaE@environmentalhealth.org, 619-489-4457, Environmental Health CoalitionKyle Heiskala, kyleh@environmentalhealth.org, 619-474-0220 ext. 161, Environmental Health Coalition
